Leon serpollet



(No Model.)

L. SERPOLLET.

STEAM GBNERATR.

Patented Mer. 13, 1,888.

Nv Pains. nmummpw. washing u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT LON SERPOLLET, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

STEAM-GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 379,421, dated March 13, 1888.

l Application tiled November 29, 1887. Serial No. 256,418. (No model.)

To cvZZ whom, it 11i/tty concern:

Be it known that I, LoN SERPOLLET, of Paris, in theRcpublic of France, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Steam-Generators, which is fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for producing the instantaneous vaporization of water, and the application of the steam thus obtained to engines or motors, even the smallest.

It comprises a special steam'generator or vaporizer having a single vaporizing element or a group of such elements, and also certain combinations of parts for regulating the supply of Water to and the heating of the generator.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, Figure l is a view, partly in front elevation and partly in central vertical section, of asmall steamengine of the Iolf-Pilore type, combined with a simple generator and regulating apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a view ofthe same in horizontal section, looking down; Fig. 3, a partial view of the same, partly in edge elevation or profile and partly in vertical section; Fig. 4, a view, partly in elevation, of a compound generator constructed in accordance with theinventionthatis to say, a generator with a group of communicating steam -generating elements; and Fig. 5,21 view, partly in plan and partly in horizontal section, of the said compound generator.

The heating of the generator may be effected with solid fuel, a lire chamber for which is indicated in Fig. el, or by means of fluid fuel-- such as a liquid or gaseous hydrocarbon-the use of which is provided for in the apparatus of Figs. l, 2, and 3. rIhe heating by means of a hydrocarbon is the easier to regulate.

Each steanrgenerating clement is composed of a metal tube, A, and a second tube, B, placed as a sleeve around said tube A, leaving between them a capillary space whose capillary action is greater at the bottom than at the top. The tubes are pressed together by means of a nut, l, under which is placed a washer, 2. Each tube is provided on the outside surface (the adjacent surfaces between which the capillary space is formed being considered the inside) with ribs or proj ections-such as the longitudinal ribs t or the horizontal ribs b-in order to increase the heating-surface. The inside surface, near the point-of injection, is finely striated by grooves made in a lathe by means of emery-paper or a soft tile and crossing each other in such manner as to offer to the liquid a multitude of microscopic divisional canals. Higher up, Where the steam can be considered as well formed, the space which separates the two surfaces increases slightly, without, how ever, ceasing to be capillary.

Around the tubes there is a tubular envelope, C, preferably of refractory material, and outside of this a metal envelope, D, pierced at its upper part with a number of holes, (Z, to admit air for supplying the lire into the space between the envelopes C D, so that in passing down through the said space the air takes up apart of the radiant heat. The holes Z can be obstructed in whole or in part, so as to cut off or to regulate the admission of air, by means of the slide-ring c, provided with similar holes and turned by hand or byaconnection with the governor.

The hot gases of combustion rise through the space F, around the steamgenerating tube B and the passage G, through the tube A, and pass off by the chimney H. /Vhen the gases are formed by a Bunsen burner, I, the supply thereto is regulated by a stopcock, J, which is adjusted by hand or automatically by means of a governor. The adjustment is effected through the connecting-rod K and lever L, which is oscillated by means of a pin, It, projecting from the movable piece Minto the slot Z in said lever. The piece M is engaged by a screw threaded rod, N, and is moved in the direction to depress or to raisesaid lever L by turning said rod in one direction or the other. The rod N can be turned by hand by means of the crank-wheel n, or automatically by the governor raising or depressing a rackbar, t, which engages the pinion p, fast in said rod N.

A lever, O, serves to put the apparatus into or out of operation by its action upon the plunger 3 of the feed-pump, which supplies the generator with water to be vaporized. This plunger is pushed in by the eccentric h acting against the shoe t' on the plunger, and

ythe stopcock Jand the ringe.

outlet-pipe Q from the pump, is placedk in the v upper part of a generator and can he prolonged into the smoke-box.

is returned by the spring 4, By moving the lever O to the right thereturn of the plunger, is permitted, and consequently the feed bythe pump is arrested. By properly placing the ylever O thev outwardmotion of the plunger,

pose of stopping the feed whenever desired.

The water is lorced from the pump through f vthe pipe Q, eitherl directly or after passing l throughihe coil Sinto the annular throat j, j' formed at the bottom ofthe steamegenerating element, and thence it enters the capillary i space between the tubes A B by little fui-rows i', which taper to points ina littledistance.

vlin order not to have to stop the generation of steam in case the pump should be stopped for a moment, the compressed-air regulatorR, with a dischargevalve, S, is placed between the pump (which then ksends the feed-water into it) and the steamgenerator A Bor the coil s. ln that case the governor is made to control the balanced distributer q, as well as The coil s. forming a continuation ofthev y It has for its object to prevent the hot gases from escaping at too high a temperature,and, preliminarily, toheat under pressure the feed-Water which is about to be instantaneously vaporized. This coil l or heater may be a simple or a double cylinl der ora spiral pipe.

Nhen the generator, in consequence of the 1 amount of power to be developed, is composed of a number of connected elements, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the injection is made by a circular conduit, t, having a branch for each element, and theplate u, which joins together the different elements at the top, is provided with passages through which the elements communicate with one another, and the steam is conducted to the pipe c, (provided with a l manometer,) leading to the slide-valve,wl1ich l distributes the steam, and permitting the del tention of the steam and avoiding'the induf ence of objectionable anterior spaces.

The improved double-tube steam generators have the advantages of lightness, strength, and small size, as well as a large heating-surface,lwhich vaporizes the water instantaneously as it is injected, and by permitting a uniform healing, are free from the dangers of irregular expansion.v They can be easily taken apart, inspected, and put together, and are always perfectly tight. These advantages result'from the circular form vof tlie'stearn-generating element, the construction of the two tubes, and their relative arrangement.

I claim as my invention-'- l. The vaporiziug or steamgeneratiug element formed by the exteriorlyribbedtubes,

placed one around the other and pressed togetlier by a nut acting on a washer, so as to l'orm close jointsand provided with inlet and outlet passages, said element being adapted for multiplication, substantially as described. 2. kThev combination. with thestop-cock for regulating the supply ol' l'uel and the pnmpplunger, of the mechanism composed vof the `threaded rod, the piece moved thereby, and

the tvvov levers moved by said piece, one con-k nected with thesaid stopcock andthe other limiting the stroke of the said plunger, sub-vv stantially as described.

3. The combination, with the steam-gem erator, ofthe meansnamely, the perforated slide-ring-for varying the amount of air admitted to the co mbustionrhamber, themeansnamely, kthe stop-cock-for varying the supply of fuel, and the meansfnamely, the lever-forming astop to a spring retracted plunger for varying the supply of water to be vapor-ized, the three means being connected so as to be simultaneously regulated, subst-antially as described.

4. The combination, with the steam generator or vaporizer and the pump, of the compressed-air regulator and its distributerinterposed between the said pump and the said generator, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof have signed this specitication in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

LEON SERPOLLET.

Witnesses:

G. DUPONT, V. BEDAUH. 

